When we talk about the best alternatives to Google Play Store, F-Droid always makes the list because it is one of the most interesting Android app stores out there. It is completely independent (not owned by any company) and only offers free open source applications . That means all the apps you can download from F-Droid are safe, reliable, ad-free and won’t cost you a penny.
However, if you start using F-Droid without knowing how it works, you will be disappointed. And it is that this store by itself does not include many apps, although you can add new ones yourself . If you want proprietary apps (such as WhatsApp or Netflix), mods of popular apps or more open source apps to appear, all you have to do is add external repositories to the app. Don’t know how to do it? We will explain to you right away.
Steps to add a repository to F-Droid of any app
A repository is a place where one or more applications are stored. Therefore, if you want F-Droid to offer you a specific app or a group of apps (and that do not come standard with the store), all you have to do is indicate the address of the repository that contains the apps you want from this form:
- First, copy the repository link you want to add.
- Here is an official list of F-Droid supported repositories .
- Assuming you’ve already installed the store (if not, here’s the official F-Droid APK ), open it and go to Settings .
- Go to Repositories .
- Tap the ” + ” button in the top right corner.
- Now, paste the repository link in the Repository address box. For example, to add the NewPipe app, the link you need to paste is this: https://archive.newpipe.net/fdroid/repo/?fingerprint=E2402C78F9B97C6C89E97DB914A2751FDA1D02FE2039CC0897A462BDB57E7501
- The Fingerprint does not need to be added, especially if it is already included in the address, as in the example above. But if you have the repository address and footprint separately , you should add it as follows (taking the NewPipe repository as an example):
- Repository Address : https://archive.newpipe.net/fdroid/repo/
- Fingerprint (optional) : E2402C78F9B97C6C89E97DB914A2751FDA1D02FE2039CC0897A462BDB57E7501
- After adding the required information, tap Add .
- Lastly, wait for F-Droid to load the repository and then activate it by tapping the switch that appears next to it.
That is all! You can now use the F-Droid Finder to find the apps you added with the repository and download them from the store . It is important to note that some repositories have a QR code that you can scan to add them to F-Droid easier and faster. Some are even added to the store by simply touching their link in your mobile browser and then clicking Add.
The truth is that adding a repository to F-Droid is very simple, so we hope that you will not have any problem doing it. If a repository does not work for you, it is probably because you are adding the wrong link (or it is not the correct one) or because the repository has already been closed. In any case, tell us about any inconvenience you have to help you.
